Last summer, when Deval Patrick's veto killed a gaming bill in the final days of the legislative session, many thought he had badly damaged himself politically. He was, after all, the one who had pushed for casinos in Massachusetts almost from the day he entered office. Now, he had quashed a compromise bill hammered out between Senate President Therese Murray and House Speaker Bob DeLeo. He had angered union members — critical support for his re-election — and none more visibly than Robert Haynes, the powerful president of the state's AFL-CIO. The 2011 and 2012 budgets would have to proceed without revenue from casino licensing and slot machines, meaning far deeper cuts to services.

Almost a year later, Patrick is safely ensconced for another four years in the corner office — while Haynes is stepping down after 13 years.

And, according to reports last week, Patrick may get the casino bill he wants this summer, after all — without the no-bid slot licenses for racetracks that he drew the line against last year.

The Boston Herald, followed by the Springfield Republican, WBUR, and others, reported that DeLeo hopes to pass a gaming bill by next month. "Casino gambling and slot parlors will soon be coming up for debate again on Beacon Hill," Fox 25 announced.

According to those accounts, the legislation will likely include three resort-casino licenses and one "slot parlor" license open for competitive bidding.

State House watchers say that would be a political win for Patrick. Even bigger, they say, would be if passage of that bill opened the path for quick movement on the governor's top legislative priority, health-care payment reform, intended to curb ever-rising costs. Murray is eager to move quickly on the Senate side, but DeLeo is dragging his feet on the measure — with many on Beacon Hill believing the speaker is holding it hostage until a casino deal is done.

Patrick is unlikely to get everything he wants in the payment-reform law. (The medical community, which has strong pull, is particularly unhappy with his approach.) That's also true for probation and parole reforms, the youth-violence initiative he unveiled last month, and any number of budget items.

But it increasingly looks like his big initiatives will happen, which will be impressive in itself.

Patrick's second-term winning streak may be the result, over time, of Patrick's slow and steady approach, calm to the point of aloofness.

But it might also be what happens when a governor uses his re-election political capital for policy initiatives, rather than immediately seeking higher office.

We really wouldn't know; it's never happened here since Massachusetts switched from two-year to four-year terms for governors in 1966. The only two governors to win a second (consecutive) four-year term, Michael Dukakis in 1986 and William Weld eight years later, immediately began campaigns for president and US senator, respectively. Leverett Saltonstall, the last governor to reach a fifth year under two-year terms, also ran for US Senate. Arguably no governor has been in a position comparable to Patrick's since the Civil War.

Despite persistent rumors, Patrick insists he is committed to serving out his term. That means he is funneling all his political capital — and his acquired skill at the job — into the changes he wants to make while he's there.

Deval's Green Blues The document in question contains the final regulations for the state's biomass subsidies, and according to environmentalists, the Patrick administration is planning to reverse its pre-election position — and fly in the face of good science — for the benefit of a handful of developers who stand to make money off of burning trees for energy.

Boston's last congressman? At the moment, neither the Senate president nor the Speaker of the House lives in the city. And in two years, the unthinkable could become reality: Boston might not have a single congressman residing in its borders.

All dogs go to probate court It's funny: while Massachusetts is considered a vanguard in the struggle for same-sex marriage and mellower pot laws, it has been way behind the pack in implementing pet trusts. But no longer.

Why Deval Patrick deserves your vote When Massachusetts voters go to the polls on Tuesday, November 2, we urge them to cast their votes for the re-election of Governor Deval Patrick and Lieutenant Governor Tim Murray.

State of flux A few weeks ago, the state legislature headed into its winter break with what might be called a flurry of inactivity.

Ready to rumble Last summer, the upcoming race that got most Bay State politicos salivating was the run for governor.

Right Click Back in February 2007, a few months after a political neophyte named Deval Patrick cruised to victory in the Massachusetts governor's race with help from a political blog named Blue Mass Group (BMG) — which whipped up pro-Patrick sentiment while aggressively rebutting the governor-to-be's critics — I sized up a recent conservative entry in the local blogosphere.

Patrick's paradox Governor Deval Patrick may be the incumbent, but he enters the race for the most thankless statewide job in Massachusetts as an underdog.

Let's get serious The odds are that casino gambling is coming to Massachusetts. The state’s big three — Governor Deval Patrick, State Senate President Therese Murray, and House Speaker Robert DeLeo — are all in favor.

Brown-nosing and flip-flopping Two months ago, when Senator Scott Brown crossed party lines to help pass a jobs bill, the Phoenix noted the political convenience of that supposed show of independence — since other Republican senators were also voting with Democrats, Brown’s vote was unnecessary.

MRS. WARREN GOES TO WASHINGTON | March 21, 2013 Elizabeth Warren was the only senator on the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, aside from the chair and ranking minority, to show up at last Thursday's hearing on indexing the minimum wage to inflation.

MARCH MADNESS | March 12, 2013 It's no surprise that the coming weekend's Saint Patrick's Day celebrations have become politically charged, given the extraordinary convergence of electoral events visiting South Boston.

LABOR'S LOVE LOST | March 08, 2013 Steve Lynch is winning back much of the union support that left him in 2009.

AFTER MARKEY, GET SET, GO | February 20, 2013 It's a matter of political decorum: when an officeholder is running for higher office, you wait until the election has been won before publicly coveting the resulting vacancy.